Syracuse Hoops: Fathers and Sons

There have been nine father and son basketball players for Syracuse University basketball.  The most famous is undoubtedly the Boeheim family, with Jim and his two sons Buddy and Jimmy.  

It is tough to rank which duo is the best when the father may have been an all-time great, and the son a walk-on.  How do you compare that type of duo to a family where both the father and son played significantly?  From my perspective, you have to factor in the level of talent of both the father and son.

Here is how I would rank the nine father/son combinations at Syracuse:

9.  Steve and Stephen Keating. I bet many of you did not know that there is a father/son combo connection on this years team? Stephen Keating is a walk-on forward for the Orange; he has not played a game yet this early in this year.  His father Steve was a walk-on for the 1991-92 season, scoring 2 points in the only game he played.

8.  Ribs and Reaves Baysinger, Jr. This is the first father/son combo at Syracuse. Ribs played 11 games in 1921-22 scoring 6 points as a reserve guard/center.  Reaves Jr was a backup center on the 1944-45 team playing in 2 games and failing to score.  He was drafted by the Navy for World War II, and would enroll in the Naval Academy where he would be a star football player.  Ribs was the freshman athletic director at Syracuse from 1927 to 1946 and would have overseen his son's activities as a freshman.

7.  Dick and Bill Suprunowicz. Dick was a outstanding defensive guard/forward for three seasons from 1949 to 1951, scoring 526 points in 78 games.  His son Bill was a reserve guard for three seasons, scoring 30 points in 20 games.

6.  Adrian and Adrian Autry Jr.  Adrian Sr. was the starting point guard for four seasons from 1991-1994, scoring 1538 points in 121 games along with 631 assists. Adrian Jr. was a walk-on for four seasons from 2016-2019 scoring 10 points in 29 games.  Junior would play for his son, who was the assistant coach for the basketball team during that span.

5.  Vinnie and Vinnie Cohen Jr. Vinnie Sr. was the best Syracuse basketball player of the 1950s, leading the team to the Elite 8 in 1957.  Cohen scored 1337 points in 68 games, averaging 19.7 ppg. Vinnie Jr was a walk-on for two seasons 1991-1992, scoring 6 points in 9 games.

4.  Billy and Chaz Owens. Billy was one of the all-time great Syracuse basketball players.  He scored 1,840 points in 103 games over 3 seasons from 1989 to 1991. Owens averaged 17.9 ppg, as well as 8.8 rpg. His son Chaz was a walk-on for two seasons from 2021-2022 scoring 4 points in 8 games.

3. Jim and Jimmy Boeheim. Jim was a three year guard for Syracuse basketball from 1964-1966, scoring 745 points in 76 games.  His son Jimmy played one season as a graduate transfer in 2021-22 scoring 453 points in 33 games.  Jim Sr, of course, is also the legendary Hall of Fame coach of Syracuse.

2.  Jim and Buddy Boeheim.  Jim was mentioned above with his older son Jimmy. Buddy was a four year player for the Orange, and finished his career with 1,765 points in 121 games. Buddy was the second most prolific 3 point shooter in Syracuse history. Jim and Buddy would rank #1 on this list if we were to consider Jim's coaching career, but I chose to focus solely on the court action.

1.  Leo and Andy Rautins.  Leo was a three year starter from 1981 to 1983, and was consistently a triple double threat as a good passing forward.  Leo scored 1,031 points in 85 games, along with 423 assists and 535 rebounds.  His son Andy played for four seasons and was a terrific shooter, as well as a good passer.  Andy scored 1,121 points in 127 games, along with 347 assists and 327 rebounds.  Both Leo and Andy would have stints in the NBA.

Two New to the NBA

Congratulations to Cole Swider and Buddy Boeheim for playing in their first NBA games this past week and officially becoming NBA players. Both sharpshooters were considered by most to be longshots to play in the NBA, but they have now entered the NBA register.  They are the 57th and 58th Orange basketball players to play in the NBA.

Swider played at Syracuse one season after transferring from Villanova.  He would lead the Orange in three point percentage at 41% making 81 of 197 attempts, while also leading the team in rebounding with 6.8 rpg.  Swider would make his NBA debut with the Los Angeles Lakers on October 18th against the defending world champion Golden State Warriors.  Swider played in the last 1.52 of the game, pulling down a rebound, getting an assist, and missing his only three point shot attempt.

Boeheim played at Syracuse for four seasons.  He is the Orange's second all time three point shooter with 309 three point field goals.  He also finished 13th all time in points scored with 1,765, averaging 14.6 ppg.  He was named to the ACC's All Conference First Team his senior year.  Boeheim would make his NBA debut with the Detroit Pistons on October 21st against the New York Knicks. Boeheim would play the last 57 seconds of the game failing to get any shots.

Congrats to the two young men on achieving the milestone of their first game, and wishing them continued success on pursuing their NBA dreams.

OrangeHoops Hall of Fame 2022

In 2007, OrangeHoops inducted its charter class into the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame: Dave Bing, Derrick Coleman, Sherman Douglas, Vic Hanson, and Pearl Washington. The next ten years saw the addition of Billy Owens (2008), Billy Gabor (2009), Lawrence Moten (2010), Louis Orr (2011), Roosevelt Bouie (2011)  John Wallace (2012),  Rony Seikaly (2013), Vinnie Cohen (2014), Etan Thomas (2015), Joe Schwarzer (2016), Lew Andreas (2017), Carmelo Anthony (2018), Stephen Thompson (2019), Hakim Warrick (2020), and Gerry McNamara (2021).  So the list now stands at 20. Another year has passed, and now it is time for the 2022 inductee.

I established my rules for the OrangeHoops Hall of Fame back in 2007 and you can catch up on them here. 2021 does have seven new eligible candidates (using the fifteen year rule): Todd Burach, Ross DiLiegro, Matt Gorman, Mike Jones, Demetris Nichols, Terrence Roberts, Darryl Watkins

Todd Burach was a three year walk-on for the Orange. He played guard and scored 9 points in three seasons.

Ross DILiegro was a four year walk-on for the Orange. He played forward for four seasons and scored 2 points in eleven games.

Matt Gorman was a reserve forward for four seasons.  He did play in most of the games as a junior and senior, and started five games his senior year. He hit 46% of this three point shots his senior year on a limited 26 shots.

Mike Jones was a forward on the Orange for one season. He transferred after his first semester having scored 21 points in 11 games.

Demetris Nichols was a smooth shooting forward who became quite prolific at three point shooting.  Nichols was an occasional starter/key reserve his first two seasons.  He moved permanently into the starting lineup his junior year and was one of the top shooters in the Big East. Nichols would have a terrific senior year hitting 100 of 240 three point shots (41.7%), on his way to 18.9 ppg. He would earn a berth on the All Big East First Team, and have two games with 30+ points, including a career high 37 against St. John's.  He finished his career with 1,344 points, currently 36th all time.

Terrence Roberts was a solid forward who excelled at rebounding and defense. He never developed into a strong scorer, but he was adept at running the court.  He would average 8.1 rebounds per game his senior year. Like many big men at Syracuse he struggled at the free throw line making only 48% of his shots.  He finished his career with 716 rebounds, currently 24th all time at Syracuse.

Darryl 'Mookie' Watkins was a terrific shot blocking center, though he was prone to foul trouble throughout his career.  Watkins excelled on the defensive end of the court, but never developed a strong offensive game, peaking at 8.1 ppg his senior year. He did finish his career with 263 blocked shots, currently 5th all-time at Syracuse.

None of those players would crack my list of top 10 candidates.

I think this year’s viable top 10 candidates come down to the following, listed chronologically: Lew Castle, Jon Cincebox, Dennis DuVal, Jimmy Lee, Rudy Hackett, Danny Schayes, Leo Rautins, Rafael Addison, Jason Hart, and Preston Shumpert.

Castle was a two time All-American at Syracuse, and was captain and leading scorer of Syracuse’s only undefeated team, the 1913-1914 squad that went 12-0.

Cincebox was on the best rebounders in Syracuse history (in an era when rebounding numbers were admittedly high).  He helped Syracuse to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1956-1957, as the dominant big man for the Orangemen.

DuVal was a flashy point guard for Syracuse in the early 70s.  When he graduated from Syracuse he was only second to Dave Bing in career points scored.  He was a three year started and averaged 18.6 ppg.  DuVal was a third team All-American his senior year

Lee was a clutch shooter with terrific perimeter range, and outstanding free throw shooting ability. He was able to use his shooting ability to set himself up as a solid passer. Lee's 18 foot jumper with five seconds remaining led the Orangemen to beat heavily favored North Carolina, as the Orangemen eventually moved on to their first NCAA Final Four. Lee would end up making the All-Tournament team for his outstanding performances.

Hackett was a powerful forward who could run the court well. He was a great rebounder and terrific scorer near the hoop.  He led the Orangemen in scoring his senior year and helped lead Syracuse to its first Final Four in 1975.

Schayes was a skilled center with a good shooting touch, and solid overall basketball skills. He unfortunately sat behind the legendary Roosevelt Bouie his first three seasons, but he led the Orange his senior year in scoring and rebounding, earning an All Big East First Team selection.  

Rautins was a terrific ball-handling forward with a nice shooting touch, solid rebounding and scoring skills. He is most well-known for his game winning tip in basket to win the Big East Championship in triple overtime against Villanova in 1981.  Rautins also recorded two triple-doubles in Big East action.

Addison was a gangly small forward who earned a reputation for being one of the most underrated players in the country.  He possessed an excellent mid range jump shot, was decent passing the ball, and was a solid free throw shooter. He led the team in scoring his sophomore and junior seasons.  He moved to shooting guard his senior year, and his 6’7” height helped with the mismatches. Unfortunately a leg injury impacted his effectiveness the second half of the season.

Hart was a speedy defensive point guard, and a four year starter.  He was a decent ball handler, and finished his career as the number two assist man all time at Syracuse. He was much better on the defensive end, and would finish as SU's all-time leader in steals.  Hart would have a 9 year career in the NBA, mostly as a backup guard.

Shumpert was one of the best three point shooters in Syracuse history, with terrific range.  He was a streaky shooter and carried the Orangemen to many victories, seven times in his career scoring 30+ points in a game.  He would be named to the Big East First Team both his junior and senior seasons, averaging 20.7 points per game his senior year.  He was not a strong defensive player, and there were questions about his temperament, particularly related to issues with DeShaun Williams.  Shumpert is currently the 8^th all time leading scorer at SU.

All are worthy players, and tough selections to make.  I designed my selection rules to make it tough; the Hall of Fame should be the 'best of the best', and I would rather have a line of worthy players outside the Hall of Fame, than cheapen it by having lessor players included.

Ten very good candidates, and a couple of those players are among my all-time personal favorites.  The 2022 inductee is Rudy Hackett.

Hackett averaged 22.2 ppg and 12.7 rebounds per game his senior year to help lead the Orangemen to their first Final Four as a Cinderella underdog.  He and Jimmy Lee were the Orangemen's one-two punch during their improbable run in the NCAA tournament.

Hackett earned 2nd team All American recognition his senior year.  At the time his finished his career he was 2nd all-time in rebounding, having led the team all three seasons he was on the varsity,  and 2nd all-time in scoring. Hackett is currently 7th in rebounding all time at Syracuse, and 25th in scoring.

Top 10 Winningest Active Mens Basketball Coaches (Div I)

 Here's the list of the active NCAA Men's basketball coaches, ranked by career wins:

1. Jim Boeheim 1099 (though the less informed say 998)
2. Bob Huggins 916
3. Cliff Ellis 817
4. John Calipari 768
5. Bill Self 763
6. Rick Barnes 754
7. Dana Altman 710
8. Kelvin Sampson 699
9. Jim Larranaga 696
10. Rick Pitino 684

What I find interesting about this top 10 group is there are only 6 National Championships won by this group. Boeheim '03, Calipari '12, Self '08 & '22, and Pitino '96 & '13.. And only 4 of the coaches on that list have won a title.

These are Boeheim's current peers, now that the legendary Coach K, Roy Williams, and Jay Wright have all retired. 

Statistics of Note From 2021-2022

Coach Jim Boeheim proclaimed before the season that this was the best three point shooting team he ever had.  He wasn’t far off from that.  The team hit 37.7% of its three point attempts, 5^th best in school history. The team made 9.1 three point shots a game, the most in school history, breaking the record of 8.8 set in 2016-17.

This year’s team shot 73.7% from the free throw line, making 423 of 574 shots.  The 73.7% is the 8^th best free throw shooting team since 1947-1948.  That is pretty elite company. 

The team averaged only 17.4 free throw attempts per game. That is the second lowest for the team since 1948.  The record low was set the previous season with 17.0 attempts per game.

The scoring margin for the team was 2.3 points per game. That was the 103^rd best out of 122 seasons for the Orange.  Only 19 Syracuse squads have had a lower point differential average.

The 77.4 points per game the Orange scored was the best for the team since 2009-2010.  The 75.1 ppg the team allowed the opponents to score was the 15^th worst all time, and the most since 1988-89.

Despite some late game meltdowns, the 2021-2022 team was actually very good at not turning over the ball.  They averaged 10.7 turnovers a game, the third best since 1984-85 when they started keeping the team statistic.   The best was the 2013-2014 team.  The team’s assist to turnover ratio was 1.36, which is the 6^th best in school history; the 1987-88 team holds the record at 1.79.  If you look at the Field Goal to Turnover Ratio, which is an indicator of turnover rate based on pace of the game, the team again ranked 5^th with a ratio of 2.58. The 1988-1989 team leads the way with a ratio of 3.00.

Individually, Cole Swider had the 8^th best three point shooting season at 41.1% making 81 of 197 attempts. Joe Girard wasn’t far behind with 40.3%. 

Jesse Edwards 2.8 blocks per game were the most since Fab Melo averaged 2.9 in 2011-12.

Cole Swider’s 6.8 rebounds per game was the lowest for the team leader since C.J. Fair’s 6.4 in 2013-2014.

Jimmy Boeheim Earns Academic All American Status

Congratulations to Jimmy Boeheim for making First Team Academic All American. Boeheim is only the second Orange men’s basketball player to earn first team honors, and the 8^th to receive any Academic All American recognition.  

The ability for an Orange player to make Academic All American  is far rarer than making All American status based on playing accomplishments.  Consider that sixteen Orange players have made the 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd team AP All American, whereas only eight have made the Academic All American.

The Academic All Americans have all done well in their professional careers following college, whether it was basketball or other ventures.

Rick Dean was the first Academic All American, earning 2^nd team status his senior year.   Dean would be a decorated Vietnam veteran, an FBI agent, and then a Methodist Minister.

George Hicker was a third team Academic All American in 1968. Hicker became a successful real estate salesman and later the president of Cardinal Industrial.

Bill Smith was a second team Academic All American in 1971.  He would have a brief NBA career, before a lengthy career at Smith Barney.

Dennis DuVal was a second team Academic All American in 1973.  He would have a brief NBA career, before moving on to a career as a police officer in Syracuse. His career would culminate with him being the Syracuse Police Chief from 2001-2004.

Hal Cohen was a second team Academic All American in 1979.  He continued onto medical school following graduating from Syracuse, and would be a respected radiologist in the Syracuse area for over three decades.

Danny Schayes was the only other first team Academic All American for Syracuse, achieving that distinction in 1981.  Schayes would play 18 seasons in the NBA for seven different franchises.

Craig Forth is the only Orange player to earn the distinction twice. The first time he was third team in 2004, and then he earned it again the next year rising to the second team. Forth became a teacher, and then later the principal of Mechanicsville High School in 2016.

Jimmy Boeheim graduated from Cornell in 2021, and came to Syracuse as a graduate student for the 2021-2022 season. He would earn first team Academic All American status.

Syracuse 2021-22 Free Throw Shooting

The Syracuse men's basketball team had a good year shooting free throws making 73.7% of their attempts.  This was the 8th best free throw shooting team in Syracuse history, with the 2020-21 team holding the record at 78.2%.  They were not a prolific free throw shooting team, with only 17.39 attempts per game, the second lowest in school history. That should not be too surprising from a team that specialized in perimeter shooting.

The team had three outstanding free throw shooters in Buddy Boeheim (88.4%), Joe Girard (88.2%), and Cole Swider (86.6%).  Buddy had the rare distinction  of leading the team in free throws made as well as free throw percentage.  Only Preston Shumpert (2001-02), Gerry McNamara (2005-06), and Tyus Battle (2018-19) have accomplished that in the past twenty years. [note it was a bit more common place in the 50s-90s with 15 players accomplishing it]

In the past seven seasons, six different players have led the Orange in free throw shooting percentage:  Trevor Cooney, John Gillon, Tyus Battle (2x), Joe Girard, Alan Griffin, and Buddy Boeheim.  Meanwhile, eleven different players have led the team in free throws made the past eleven seasons.

Earlier this season, I discussed the best free throw shooting backcourts in Syracuse history.  Boeheim and Girard set the record this year at 88.3%, making 181 out of 205 free throw attempts.  They have surpassed the 2005-06 effort of 87.1% by  Gerry McNamara and Eric Devendorf.

Buddy Boeheim finished his career as the 7th best three throw shooter at SU. Joe Girard is currently #2 at 86.5%, trailing Gerry McNamara's 88.78% by a couple of percentage points. On the downside, Bourama Sidibe finished his career as the 7th worst free throw shooter, becoming one of just seven to shoot less than 50% for his career.  Sidibe did shoot 64.3% in his last season, and he fell just one made free throw short of making 50% for his career.

In the battle of Boeheim free throw shooting, Buddy wins the contest.  Buddy's 82.7% is tops.  Coach Jim Boeheim shot 69.5%, and Buddy's older brother Jimmy shot 64.4% at Syracuse (Jimmy shot 66.3% in his combined career at Cornell and Syracuse).  By the way, sister Jamie Boeheim shot 70.6% (12-17) in her career at the University of Rochester.